Distinguishing characters: There are four characters that stand out conspicuously in the tulip tree—the bud, the trunk, the persistent fruit cups and the wedged leaf.
The bud, [Fig. 74], about three-quarters of an inch long, is covered by two purplish scales which lend special significance to its whole appearance. The trunk is extremely individual because it rises stout and shaft-like, away above the ground without a branch as shown in [Fig. 73]. The tree flowers in the latter part of May but the cup that holds the fruit persists throughout the winter. The leaf, [Fig. 75], has four lobes, is nearly as broad as it is long and so notched at the upper end that it looks different from any other leaf.
Fig. 73.—The Tulip Tree.
Fig. 74.—Bud of the Tulip Tree.
Form and size: The tulip tree is one of the largest, stateliest and tallest of our trees.
Range: Eastern United States.